Miami Modern earns status it deserves

[M II A II R II K]

Architect About Town: Miami Modern earns status it deserves


July 10, 2010

By Joyce Owens



Read More: http://www.news-press.com/article/20...013/LIFESTYLES

Tour Miami's Architecture: http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs....7090805&Ref=PH

A couple of hours’ drive and Miami feels a million miles away. I was there exploring a few weeks back and easily identified an assortment of fine architectural styles particular to Florida’s east coast. Over the past century, this investment in good design has paid off, creating an architectural identity unique to that area. During the land boom of the 1920s, the rich and famous who discovered the temperate winter climate of South Florida built landmark estates and resorts in the Mediterranean Revival Style — an eclectic combination of styles originally found in Tuscany, Venice and Spain.

On Miami Beach, the international Art Deco style evolved into “Streamline Moderne” Art Deco, i.e. long, low horizontal buildings reminiscent of ships: incorporating curved forms and minimal, often nautical details. The traditional decorative and geometric Art Deco was stripped of its excess perhaps as a reaction to the simpler and more austere economic times of the 1930s. But on the east coast there is much more than just the well-publicized Art Deco of South Beach and the occasional Spanish Revival landmarks.

The designs of the past 20 years are sleek, chic, typically white and often designed by internationally known architects. The architecture of recent years has made Miami and its environs a world-class city worthy of note. What struck me, however, is the lesser-known and until recently, neglected postwar Miami modernist architecture — better known by its acronym MiMo (MY-Moe).

The Fontainebleau, designed by whimsical resort architect Morris Lapidus, exemplifies the highly decorated resort style that bloomed in Miami in the midcentury. It was built in 1954. (Special to news-press.com)

[bobdreamz]

thanks for posting this article. Miami Modern or MiMo as it's called is not as well known as say the Art Deco buildings in South Beach but it did leave it's mark on the cities of Miami & Miami Beach. Here are a few examples:





^ Lincoln Road mall (pics by Edge & Corner wear @ Flickr.com)



^ one of the most famous of the MiMo style is the Bacardi building on Miami's Biscayne Boulevard. (Digital photo taken by Marc Averette)



^ the exterior of the Fountainebleau Hotel ( pic by Neece Regis/Boston Globe)



^ exterior of Bay Harbor Island condo circa 1950s (pic by Tanya Diaz@ Miamism.com)



^ Unity Church ( pic by miamism @ flickr.com)

These buildings still exist and there are more examples but some of the buildings in this style have already been demolished.

[M II A II R II K]

For $65 Million, Miami Garage Has Party Space, Boutiques, Camel


Jul 20, 2010

By James S. Russell



Read More: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-0...s-russell.html

I recently watched the Miami Beach sun cast golden late-afternoon light into a seventh-level aerie atop a surreal parking garage that serves at times as party space. The premiere of “Sex and the City 2” was celebrated here, with a camel. This $65 million bravura composition of intersecting planes and angular piers, called 1111 Lincoln Road, does indeed park 300 cars in its mostly wall-free structure. It includes fashion retailers and residences. The different levels rhythmically jut forward and recede a bit. The floor heights range from the parking standard of about 7 feet to as high as 34 feet. The tall floors are best for parties.

The day I was there, the garage had the primordial calm of a Giorgio de Chirico painting, with towering clouds visible in every direction. The architectural allure and the view are why the garage is in demand for weddings and other fetes. Developer Robert Wennett, president of Urban Investment Advisors LLC, cooked up an idiosyncratic commercial formula: Architecturally spectacular parking structure attracts high-end retail, which helps sell a penthouse residence and attract events.

The Basel-based architectural firm Herzog & de Meuron designed 1111 Lincoln Road, which is the culmination of the busy pedestrian mall designed by Morris Lapidus. You might mistake this skeletal concrete frame for yet another abandoned condo project. Inside, access ramps sinuously warp and curve as they rise within the squared-off planes of each level. A sculptured stair dances in counterpoint.

The parking garage at 1111 Lincoln Road, left, and the SunTrust bank building. Architects Herzog and de Meuron designed the new garage to complement the bank building. Source: Nelson Garrido/MBEACH1 LLP via Bloomberg






The parking garage at 1111 Lincoln Road. The $65-million composition of intersecting planes and angular piers has a parking capacity of 300 cars. Source: Nelson Garrido/MBEACH1 LLP via Bloomberg

[brickell]

Do you read the articles you post? That garage is nowhere close to a Miami Moderne style.